the animal's journal

[theanimal]

Quick Update

Not much has changed. I've recently been working part time doing construction site clean up. That has been paying pretty well but that's about it. I went and visited friends at school this past weekend and had a pretty good time. It does feel pretty weird though to be done, while everyone is still there.

Anyways, other than that I'm hoping to take a couple short trips soon, one to a state park and the other to Isle Royale so that's somewhat exciting.

I'm still feeling pretty lost and am not sure what to start doing or where to go from here. I've applied to a variety of seasonal jobs, a few park ranger jobs and the like. I don't know, maybe I'm just overwhelmed. Any thoughts? Advice?

[George the original one]

Continue to pursue your goals while keeping some income rolling in. Any ranger job is a foot in the door. Keep talking to people working in your field.

[JohnnyH]

Ranger jobs are going to go, almost exclusively, to vets... Try wildland firefighting: seasonal jobs (w/ full yr health insurance), 20 yr pension potential, overtime, work outdoors. Plus it's a fear based growth industry. A war you can't win where fighting it only makes original problem much worse (we Americans seem to love these ).

[Chad]

Ranger jobs are going to go, almost exclusively, to vets...

I agree with JH. It is going to be very difficult to get any government job that even remotely attracts veteran applicants. I'm a gov't consultant and my client recently tried to fill 4 positions. The basic formula used by the gov't created a final candidate pool of 50-100 people (can't remember exact number). All of them were veterans.

I'm not saying don't apply, just have a plan B.

where fighting it only makes original problem much worse (we Americans seem to love these ).

We do seem to love these. Probably, because the correct decision is one a Rep/Senator with unlimited term limits and essentially unlimited funding needs doesn't have the courage to make.

[Ego]

I've got a friend who I watched progress from warehouse worker to county park ranger. He began by volunteering and becoming friends with those who had the job he wanted. He went through the police academy (rangers carry guns) which was a huge hurdle for him and he got several of the required certifications on his own. Toward the end of his time as a volunteer he was responsible for a few big programs that brought him to the attention of the big bosses. When it came time to hire a new ranger, they had no choice but to hire him.

That said, he became a ranger about ten years ago. Today vets get a boost. You might call those in managerial positions in those agencies to ask if the recent hires were exclusively vets.

[JohnnyH]

You could do peace corps, 2 yr commitment and you'll learn another language... At your age, if you are interested in fed jobs that might be a worthwhile investment to get veteran status.

[Dragline]

Isle Royale is awesome!

Having just got back from a trip to Philmont in New Mexico last month with boy #2, I met a lot of interesting young people who worked there, from people who were pre-college to post college to musicians to a veteran who almost died in Iraq. You might look into it: http://philmontscoutranch.org/Jobs.aspx I got the impression from a number of people who worked there that it was as much a spiritual experience as a learning one.

We had a GoPro and made some (mostly poor quality, but interesting) videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 2xcpzOiZ04

[theanimal]

@GTOO, Chad, Johnny and Ego- Thanks for the advice. I know the ranger job is a stretch but it is fairly low on the grade scale and I do qualify. From what I've read, the actual park ranger jobs go to a much younger demographic as the administration tries to transition to move the "promising rangers" into permanent office positions and another good portion move on to other jobs. That said, it still is a fairly tough job to get into. I'm going to keep pestering them about it but I do have back up options. For example, work in a lower grade job and then apply the next season (summer) or something like that.

Edit: To further clarify, the rangers I'm talking about are for the National Park service.

@JohnnyH- I thought about doing peace corps for a while but ultimately I decided I really don't want to do it. I don't want to commit to something like that and honestly don't really have a desire to leave North America anytime soon.

@Dragline- That's what I've heard as well. I'm really looking forward to it. Thanks for the advice on Philmont, I hadn't thought of that but I'll look into it. By the way those are some neat videos! Looks like you had a great time.

[theanimal]

Things are going fairly well. I do not feel lost and have still been working construction since I last posted. I've decided to continue on what I had originally planned, which is the outdoor ed path. As many of you could have guessed, I did not make much headway with any of my applications for federal positions. No big deal. I might have to try again down the road when I have a bit more experience.

One thing I am very glad I didn't/am not pursuing something related to construction. I don't think I have worked with one sub contractor or anyone on a job site who had a positive attitude about the job. All these guys are so grumpy! Its like working with a bunch of little kids, always complaining and gossiping about others. I'm glad I don't have to deal with it for much longer. An interesting thing I've noticed though is that I have not seen anyone even close to my age. Everyone has been at least 10-15 years older. I know its a pretty small sample size, but I'm wondering if many of the trades are dying out ( I guess there is data on that online).

The fall trip north unfortunately didn't work out. I was going to go to the Boundary Waters instead of Isle Royale but then I had A LOT of guaranteed hours at work that I felt were too good to pass up. I was all set to make a trip to Isle Royale this week until I found out a good friend from grade/high school died Saturday morning. Only 21 years old...it's had me thinking a lot these past few days. Nothing is guaranteed.

I've become really interested in developing a strong skill set lately (much more than before) so that my output can get as low as possible whenever I decide to settle down. The major interests right now are hunting, fishing, foraging and small machine repair. And I guess I'm trying to learn more about bikes too. If anyone has any helpful resources in any of those areas, I'd be happy if you sent them my way!

Edit: Forgot to mention that I'm getting certified as Wilderness First Responder in early November. I'm really looking forward to that. It will hopefully add a lot more depth and knowledge to my current wilderness first aid skills.

[George the original one]

The young ones are smarter and working the oil fields for higher pay (or the dream of higher pay). Your grumpy coworkers have families and other obligations that they're chained to.

[theanimal]

Last week I took a Wilderness First Responder class and became certified. I had a blast taking the course and now have a huge array of medical skills/knowledge to add to my skill set.

Furthermore, I have crossed the barrier with regards to bears! The course was in northern Michigan and for lodging I set up camp in a state forest. Of the 5 nights I was there, I had 2 bears pass by my tent during the night, one hanging around the area for a few minutes. Both incidents were a non-issue mentally. This is good!! I was also treated to the constant howling of a rather large pack of wolves on the final night, something that I had not experienced before.

One thing that I've noticed when returning from these outdoor experiences, like Alaska, Colorado or Michigan, is how mundane my everyday life is in comparison. Early on, as I settle back into an inside, "normal" lifestyle I often think, "Is this it? How boring." I can't wait until I'm back out again, spending the majority of my days sleeping under the night sky.

[jacob]

Congrats on crossing the bear barrier without a .454 Casull revolver!
https://www.magnumresearch.com/Firearms ... Barrel.asp

I still have nightmares about bears gnawing on my foot (but only when sleeping in a tent in bear country .. yeah this happened at Yosemite Nat park ) though recently we went to Apple River, IL and listened to a bunch of coyotes howling all night... I guess I've graduated to "coyote"-level on the "concerned about getting eaten alive"-scale ;-P

In my next "chapter of life" (I failed to find that smbc cartoon illustrating my point ), I want to be you.

[theanimal]

Haha, thanks. From what I've read and obviously in my experience it goes away with exposure.

In my next "chapter of life" (I failed to find that smbc cartoon illustrating my point ), I want to be you.

http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2722
Does that include the beard too?

[theanimal]

Random Musings, Review of 2014, and a look ahead at 2015

Random Musings
-A couple weeks ago marked my 22nd birthday. I went out with a group of friends to a bar downtown. To get in you had to buy a $25 wristband that gave you unlimited drinks. I thought this was a ripoff and a huge waste of money. However, the rest of my friends thought it was a steal and quite the bargain. My friends seem to have champange tastes but have a PBR budget, so to speak. I guess the major difference in thinking is that I compared the price starting from $0 whereas they started at standard price of drinks times number of drinks and went from there. I think this is the same mindset as KevinW (?) described on here with regard to sacrifices. ERErs start at 0 and consider anything they add a bonus. Average consumers look at whatever is decreased from their current lifestyle and see what's "lost."

-I also noticed that this was the first year where I was not excited at all for either my birthday or Christmas. It's not that I wasn't not looking forward to it, rather it was just another day. I'm guessing this is pretty routine as you age, anyone else experience this?

-I discovered a long time friend who shares much of the same ideas as myself and others here. I introduced him to ERE and lent him my copy of the book. He's loving it. Did not see this happening.

2014
Ah, what a bittersweet year. I had big ambitions but life worked out otherwise. During the first half of the year I finished up school and graduated early (something that I definitely do not regret). Then came the tough (but necessary) lessons in Alaska and Colorado. Outside of my time in northern Michigan I've been stuck in Illinois since the summer with a strong desire to go west/north.

I definitely did not do as much as a could of with regards to skill development. The major areas I further improved: wilderness travel/planning/camping, medical (Wilderness First Responder), hunting (although no practical experience), Alaskan history, biology (with an in depth understanding of a few animals: namely wolves and bears), ecology, geology, as well as a few others on a smaller scale.

A Look Ahead

I intend to further develop my skills this year with a major focus on bike repair and hunting. I need to start doing actual practice with each of those as I have only been doing non-practical work so far.

I read somewhere between 80-90 books this year, I wanted to hit 100 but had some lazy weeks. Next year probably won't have as much time devoted to reading so I'm shooting for around 40-50.

So I recently got hired for a guide position in the Brooks Range (Alaska) starting this upcoming May! Its a pretty flexible position, with free room and board and a decent amount of free time. Certainly not the adventure that I had planned for this past summer but should be a great experience nonetheless. I'm also waiting to hear back on a position as a wilderness therapy field guide, should be hearing back any day now. I'm hoping to get a couple big trips under my belt before heading up to the far north in May. I'll update here if anything happens. Things are looking up. Here's to my 23rd year on earth and 2015.

[Ego]

Whoa..... great new on the job. Congrats!

[theanimal]

Thanks, Ego! It's not really backcountry guiding more day trip stuff like van tours and river floats, but I'm excited nonetheless. I don't think there is a better location for me to live and work at right now. And I can basically work there as long as I want, so we'll see how this goes..

[Gilberto de Piento]

-I also noticed that this was the first year where I was not excited at all for either my birthday or Christmas. It's not that I wasn't not looking forward to it, rather it was just another day. I'm guessing this is pretty routine as you age, anyone else experience this?

This is normal. A lot of things seem less exciting as you get older so have fun now!

Congrats on the job!

[theanimal]

Thanks, Gilberto!

Finding a Path

Warning: This post is long!

For those who have been paying attention to my journal, you will note I have been wishy washy as to what style of ERE I intend to follow. I’ve mentioned the classic 5 year approach or pursuing a more relaxed semi-ERE path. Well the wishy washiness (nice word, eh?) is over. It has been 2 years since I first came across ERE and while my expenses are dialed in pretty well, my income wasn’t very high during this period. I would make the excuse that I was in school, but as Zalo is showing us, one can still accumulate quite a bit in that environment.

I’m stating now that I desire to be FI in 5 years time, February 2020. Much of the indecision was a result of my desire to do extended wilderness trips, like my planned Brooks Range trip earlier this year. There is/was a sense of rush to do these things because climate change is likely to dramatically change these places and the ability to travel through them. As John Muir said, “The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.” Although, in my case I’m not particularly interested in seeing most places outside the US but that’s beside the point.

I think my NOLS trip was similar to that of MikeBOS’s year in the desert. It’s obviously created a desire to do that type of thing, and now is the time to work hard so that I’m able to do whatever/go wherever I want, while also adequately preparing me for the future.

There’s a few ways in which I can get there by 2020 and I’ll run through them below. Unfortunately, as I’ve stated previously, I still have to pay off student loans so as of now I’m $25,XXX in the red. I am on track to pay that off by August of 2016. Estimated post 2020 expenses are estimated at $4k provided I have land ($10k-30k) to build some type of shelter. $150k is the target goal but I think I could certainly figure out ways to get the necessary results with less if need be. I think I am also comfortable with working or earning income in some capacity again.

As of now, I think I’m leaning towards pursuing Option C.

As always, thoughts, comments, critiques and/or suggestions are welcome.

Option A
Work the job I am starting in May for 5 years. Not the most lucrative but basically guaranteed and in a great location (for me). This option would result in savings around ~80k at the five year mark, more or less depending on investments. I could make this work but would likely have to have a couple rental properties as my investment vehicles. I’m not sure how enthralled I am with that idea.

Pros
• Housing and food is paid for.
• No commute
• No expenses. Should be able to maintain 100% savings rate. Worst case scenario is 95%.
• Great location
• Almost 0 ability to spend impulsively or on unnecessary items. Nearest store and town over 1,000 people, on the road system, is ~275 miles away.
• Strong opportunity to significantly advance hunting and fishing skills.

Cons
• Low-mediocre wages
• Fairly isolated from friends, family and a larger population. I don’t think this necessarily will be an issue but it is a potential problem, especially if I work there for a longer period of time.
• Not much flexibility.

Option B

This is somewhat similar to Option A. I work the guide job that’s starting in May for about a year, then attempt to leverage it into a park ranger position with the park service (it’s been done before). I would then continue to pursue park ranger positions, until I hit FI or 2020. This scenario doubles my possible income but also comes with expenses. My estimate of yearly expenses would be somewhere between $6-7.5k (total for 2 separate 6 month positions). Under this plan, savings increase where the estimated result after 5 years is $108k (again higher or lower depending on investment results).
Pros
• Essentially paid to hike
• Great location(s)
• Better pay than option A

Cons
• Still somewhat mediocre pay
• Working for the government and all that comes with it

Option C

In this option, I work the guide job until I pay off my private student loans and build up a bit of savings. Then I would start an urban farming business mirroring Small Plot Intensive (SPIN) farming and permaculture practices/principles. This plan requires no ownership of land (land is leased from homeowners) and has startup costs of under $10k. Curtis Stone is my inspiration for this idea.
See:
http://radicalpersonalfinance.com/makin ... e-rpf0040/
http://www.greencityacres.com/

With the average age of farmers in the US and Canada at 59 and over half the US’s food produced in California, the industry is on the brink of disaster. I foresee the country facing massive problems related to food as farmers continue to leave their farms behind and the drought in California (and the rest of the west) rages on. Income is the great unknown here, but I see expenses still somewhere between $6-10k.
I should note that I have run my own business before and about 5 years ago I spent a week in West Virginia working on a farm (it was great!). Nonetheless, I would likely spend a few weeks doing WWOOF to make sure it’s something I want to do.

Pros
• Autonomy
• Learn what I consider an essential skill: gardening
• Potential to be lucrative
• If successful, have the ability to somehow turn it into a passive business or opportunity to sell.
• Build large social capital
• Flexibility. No debt and not tied to land.

Cons
• Could be difficult to set up (long hours, finding plots of land)
• No guarantee of income

Option D

I’m going to be pretty brief on this one. This one is work guide like the others then attempt to become a state wildlife trooper. Starting pay is at $55k for the first 2 years with a college degree, then shooting up after that. You are also provided a car and there are some decent benefits. I would become pretty skilled in combat and other related skills. I’m not sure how thrilled I am with this idea because I can see the environment being pretty similar to the military.
Pros
• Work to protect wildlife and public lands
• Learn a variety of skills
• Opportunity to become a pilot (paid for by state. I’m interested in becoming a pilot, but the high cost for flight school and the related cost to own/maintain or even rent a plane throws me off)

Cons
• First two years is as regular patrol, not as wildlife trooper
• Paperwork (may be a lot, apparently the big secret)
• Military type environment

Option E/F

I combined these two because they’re somewhat related and this post is long enough already. It would essentially be working the guide job (paying off my debt) and then pursuing these options. These options are UPS Driver and operating as a truck driver/oil tanker(driving to oil fields). I feel least comfortable pursuing these options as compared to those on the rest of the list. They do offer the potential for highest guaranteed income though and I would likely be able to hit my number before 2020. Expenses would be similar to the others. As Jacob noted in the other thread, the average pay of UPS drivers is $80k with opportunities for OT. I hitchhiked back to Fairbanks this past summer with a truck driver and he pulled in around $160k as a senior driver. I would imagine someone starting out would make at least half that, though driving school to get you certified is around $4k.

These are the only options where the cons out list the pros. The pro is essentially a high wage as I see no other benefits. The main cons for the second option are ethical issues (personal, working for oil industry), dangerous condition and lots of mind numbing driving. The main cons for UPS is office politics, not guaranteed as driver (depends on location and manager), environment similar to military, potential for injury and I’ve heard and now read this but apparently there’s a lot of crime issues (among employees) within the organization.
This option is obviously the quickest as I think I’d be able to knock at least 1 year, off my planned date but I wonder how much of my life I’m giving away to do that.

Option G

After paying off debt, pursue a trade. Specifically as an electrician or plumber. The benefit of this is that it provides me with a marketable skill in the future if need be and a reasonable way to reach my financial goals. However, the problem I have with these types of positions is that early on (basically the first half) of these positions consists of more grunt like work. And also, while I wouldn't be technically certified, I think that I could become competent in any of these areas by learning and practicing on my own.

TL;DR: I desire to hit ERE/FI in February 2020. I’m not completely sure of the path, but there are a number of different ways I could get there.

[Dave]

Your journal has been fascinating Theanimal, I've really enjoyed it.

It seems to me the difficulty of your choice is in choosing where on the Get Rich Fast While Miserable <---> Get Rich Slow But Happy scale you want to be. I have struggled with this a lot myself. Do we choose to expedite our accumulation phase, at the expense (delay) of our goals? Or do we follow our dreams, but accumulate wealth slowly? I'm not sure there is a right answer to this. Perhaps a blend of both is the right answer.

[Ego]

Do them all. Do the guiding. Try to leverage it into a ranger position. Work on the SPIN project in your free time. Work toward the certifications necessary to become a Wildlife Trooper. Get the licenses necessary to drive trucks. Work in the off seasons as a plumber's / electrician'''s assistant. All very useful skills. Your future "career" will probably involve a constant combining and recombining of these and many other skills.